Family Ties
by Imaginationqueen87
Summary: This is my version of the way that Jack and Z met. No, this is not I'm not making this a romantic parring between Jack and Z, it's just like the title says, it's like they are family.


Disclaimer: Don't own PRSPD

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"**Family" Ties**

Life had been rough on little Elizabeth "Z" Delgado, first her father died when she was a baby, then when she was six her mother passed away.

The years passed in the orphanage and when she was twelve she got to the point where she had enough and she ran away from the orphanage to make a life of her own on the streets.

Meanwhile: Jack Landers had been living on the streets for several years and knew the way of the streets. He didn't know what this day would bring him.

Z had been on the streets for several weeks and wondered if she had made the right choice in running away… she was tired, cold, hungry and scared… she didn't know what she should do, she was far too young to be out on her own. She didn't know that fate would smile on her that day.

She was curled up behind a dumpster when a stranger came around the corner, the drunk noticed her just as she noticed him. He, in a drunken fit, attacked her and was going to rape her when Jack heard the commotion… he wouldn't stand for that when he saw how young the girl was. Within minutes he had stopped the guy's attack and saved the young girl… at the time Z didn't go by Z she still went by the nickname her parents gave her… Lizzie, or by her full name Elizabeth, but she disliked them both, she had started to look for a new name for herself, but hadn't come up with one.

"Are you okay?" this new guy asked, he was about fifteen and you could tell when he was compared with the twelve-year-old Elizabeth.

"Yes, I think so… thanks" she said

"No problem…"

"Who are you?" she asked

"I'm Jack, and you?"

"Elizabeth… my parents called me Lizzie, but I don't want to keep being called that, it makes me think of them…" Elizabeth looked sadly down at the ground

"Hey, don't cry, it's okay… come here"

Jack handed her an offer she couldn't refuse, an offer to be her friend… teach her what he knew. He comforted her for several minutes while he thought about the situation of coming up with a new nickname for her.

"Did you have any other nicknames?" he asked as they walked out of the alleyway.

"Yeah, my dad sometimes called me 'Z', and I used to have a necklace with a Z on it, but it got lost"

"Oh, okay… well, how about we call you Z, how's that sound"

"Fine…" Z replied

The day passed and Jack began to bond with the younger girl, despite what he thought he should do, which was keep his distance, he just couldn't… she needed him too much… she needed someone to care for her, if he was too young to be on his own she, at merely twelve, was far too young.

They approached the dock and Z stopped

"Jack, there is something I need to show you," she said nervously.

"What's wrong?" he asked

"I just… don't want you to think I'm weird when I show you this…"

"I promise, I like you… there isn't much you could do to make me think any different of you"

"Even this…" suddenly another Z appeared beside her.

"Who, that is cool" Jack chuckled as she fused back to one.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah… watch this…" Jack said and went completely through one of the nearby pillars.

"Whoa, you have powers too?"

"Yeah, I was born with this," Jack replied

The years passed and Jack watched Z as she grew and blossomed into a self-confident woman with an attitude. As they grew their bond grew stronger and they began to think of each other as family… not just friends, and they were a team… They would steal from the market or the rich and hand it out to those less fortunate and keep a small bit for themselves, just enough for them to get by… but soon Z longed to really make a difference, to be a part of 'something bigger'.

Then SPD appeared in their lives… they were arrested and Z joined SPD and Jack soon followed her.

Z smiled as she looked back on all the things she and Jack had been through together, the good and the bad.

"Jack, can you believe that we're here, actually making a difference?" Z asked

"No, Z, I can't… this is not something I would have ever done normally" Jack replied "if it had just been me I would have served the time in jail."

"Really?" Z asked

"Yeah, really" Jack replied

Z shook her head "It's funny how hard I find that to believe" she chuckled

"And what is that suppose to mean…"

"You like to help others, I know you Jack, you helped me when you didn't have to… you would have joined them with or without me… I just helped you do so sooner"

"No, I wouldn't have, this life wasn't what I had in mind… then again I didn't think I'd ever make a friend like you back when I met you"

"True, you were satisfied in your way of doing things and helping the community" Z said

Jack didn't say anything at that… he knew she was right, sure he was happy with what he was doing, but deep inside he knew it wasn't helping as much as he had himself convinced it was. Maybe she was right, maybe he would have joined SPD, even if he didn't know her, but it would have taken more than what Cruger offered to convince him to go. He sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Space Patrol Delta… we're actually protecting the world from some alien set to take over…" Jack thought aloud

"Yeah, us… two former 'street rats' here protecting the world" Z laughed slightly

"RANGERS TO THE COMMAND CENTER!" a voice called

"Oh well, duty calls" Z said

"Yeah, let's stop this freak!" Jack smirked as they headed to the command center

No knows what the future holds for Jack Landers or Z Delgado, but all they know is whatever comes their way they will face together because the bonds that they formed years ago were the ties of 'family', blood or not, those bonds are the strongest in the galaxy.

**The End

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